Location of Sighting: Argenta, Montana
Date of Sighting: September 13, 2015
Time of Sighting: 3 PM MDT
UPDATED SCAN OF POLAROID PHOTO OF HUGE HOVERING OBJECT.
CONTROL PHOTO TAKEN ABOUT 1 MONTH AFTER UFO PHOTO.
CONTROL PHOTO #2 TAKEN 2 MILES FROM UFO PHOTO LOCATION.
Listen to Clip of 1st Interview With Witness (YouTube):
(Note: Audio is “Choppy” in Spots Because Several Personal Names Were Removed)
Description: The witness was driving on Highway 278 in Southwestern Montana and saw a large object hovering over the mountains. The witness stopped his car, got out, retrieved his polaroid camera and snapped a photo. At that point the object abruptly streaked away (in 2 seconds). Two others witnessed the sighting. (A couple from Texas also stopped.) They didn’t hang around for long and were really “freaked out” by what they saw. The primary witness (reporting the sighting) said that both of the other witnesses had cell phones, but did not take photos. The witness stated that when he stopped he felt “electrical energy” in the air and that his hair “stood on end.” He also thought that the object was emitting beams of light. The object had very long wings with an upward protrusion at the end of each wing. The object was visible for about 5 minutes and was hovering. The witness thought that it could have been only 200 feet off of the ground. The object then streaked away towards Badger Pass and was gone in 2 seconds!
More Information Provided by Witness: The witness told me today that has around 6,000 hours of flying experience. He has an instrument and multi-engine rating. He has flown as a bush pilot in Alaska, as a crop duster and has flown for airlines. Regarding the sighting the witness said that at the time that he was retrieving his camera the couple from Texas pulled off the side of the road behind him. After he took the photo he tried to talk to the couple. They were quite frightened and immediately left the scene. He did not get their names or phone numbers. He also DID NOT SEE THEM USING ANY CELLPHONES. He didn’t think that they took any photos.
Note: I know this witness and consider him to be reliable. He is a retired pilot. The probability of a hoax is very low considering that the photo was taken with an old Polaroid camera (model SX-70). The above image was scanned by a print shop and may not be of optimal quality. The witness is sending the original polaroid image. I will scan this image in high resolution color and update the report if the image is of improved quality.
Update – Sep 20, 2015: The original polaroid image has been received. I have scanned (at 300 DPI color) and uploaded the image. The new scan is still not a good quality image, but reveals a little more detail (like cows in the background). This case is not a hoax. I have the original polaroid.
Update – Sep 21, 2015: In response to many comments received I have uploaded an audio clip of my first interview with the witness (YouTube).
Update – Sep 23, 2015: A somewhat similar sighting occurred in Umatilla, Oregon on Sep 20, 2015 at 7 PM PDT. Witnesses noticed a long greyish object hovering in the north sky, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile above the hills behind the Columbia River. It was approximately 300 to 600 feet long or maybe even larger at times because it kept changing shape. This case was reported to MUFON and is being investigated by Oregon MUFON. Visit MUFON at http://www.mufon.com. The “shape changing” observed by the witnesses was not observed by the witness in Argenta, but the general size, shape and color seem consistent. This sighting was at night while the Argenta case was during the day.
Update – Oct 9, 2015: The witness took some more Polaroid photos of the area where the UFO was sighted. The photos were taken in the first week of October, 2015. The control photo (see above) was taken from the highway rather than the field because the farmer had flooded the field for irrigation. The original photo was taken from the field. The control photo shows the “white streaking” noted in the original UFO photo. Therefore the streaking is not due to the UFO, but a camera artifact although the “streaking” was much more pronounced in the original photo. Also the witness stated that smoke from forest fires was present in the area when the original photo was taken. A check of weather observations at nearby Dillon, MT (10 miles to the Southeast) showed that visibility was 5 miles due to haze near the time when the photo was taken. No smoke was present in the control photo which is why it is much clearer. The UFO was quite visible despite the restricted visibility due to forest fires. There is nothing to indicate that the UFO was a camera artifact. Also the witness gave the other 2 witnesses (not yet found) his card right after the UFO was sighted. Hopefully the other witnesses may contact him and can provide a description of what they saw.
Update – Oct 16, 2015: The witness pointed out that control photo #2 (see above) taken about 2 miles from the location where the original UFO photo was taken has no “white streaks.” The control photo taken at the same location where the UFO was sighted shows some “white streaking.” The witness thinks that some residual radiation is in the area where the UFO was sighted. I am not sure why the white streaks are not in control photo #2?
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